PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Ryzen 7 1800X

2017

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 3700X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (16,305 vs 22,430).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 32.7 vs 68.2 PassMark/$ ($499 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
❌46.2% higher power demand at 95W vs 65W.

Ryzen 7 3700X

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +46.4% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Costs $170 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Delivers 108.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 68.2 vs 32.7 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 95W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Ryzen 7 1800X

2017

Ryzen 7 3700X

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +46.4% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Costs $170 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Delivers 108.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 68.2 vs 32.7 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 95W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 3700X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (16,305 vs 22,430).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 32.7 vs 68.2 PassMark/$ ($499 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
❌46.2% higher power demand at 95W vs 65W.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 3700X better than Ryzen 7 1800X?

Yes. Ryzen 7 3700X is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 46.4% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data, 37.6% better PassMark, and the stronger long-term platform, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Ryzen 7 3700X is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 46.4% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 3700X is the better fit. You are getting 37.6% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Ryzen 7 3700X is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 7 3700X is $170 cheaper on MSRP at $329 MSRP versus $499 MSRP, and it gives you a 46.4% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 108.6% better value on MSRP (68.2 vs 32.7 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Ryzen 7 3700X is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2019 vs 2017), 100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 threads instead of 8/16. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Games Benchmarks

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Ryzen 7 1800X Benchmark Check

Ryzen 7 3700X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 1800X	Ryzen 7 3700X
1080p
low	213 FPS	200 FPS
medium	178 FPS	163 FPS
high	143 FPS	137 FPS
ultra	105 FPS	110 FPS
1440p
low	178 FPS	156 FPS
medium	146 FPS	121 FPS
high	115 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	84 FPS	80 FPS
4K
low	70 FPS	84 FPS
medium	61 FPS	71 FPS
high	48 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	44 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 1800X Open Ryzen 7 3700X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 7 1800X	Ryzen 7 3700X
1080p
low	284 FPS	561 FPS
medium	251 FPS	525 FPS
high	222 FPS	428 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	383 FPS
1440p
low	251 FPS	545 FPS
medium	227 FPS	471 FPS
high	200 FPS	394 FPS
ultra	164 FPS	337 FPS
4K
low	182 FPS	350 FPS
medium	169 FPS	304 FPS
high	154 FPS	274 FPS
ultra	122 FPS	242 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 1800X Open Ryzen 7 3700X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 7 1800X	Ryzen 7 3700X
1080p
low	408 FPS	561 FPS
medium	408 FPS	561 FPS
high	408 FPS	561 FPS
ultra	408 FPS	561 FPS
1440p
low	408 FPS	561 FPS
medium	408 FPS	561 FPS
high	391 FPS	538 FPS
ultra	328 FPS	470 FPS
4K
low	376 FPS	499 FPS
medium	310 FPS	394 FPS
high	277 FPS	343 FPS
ultra	222 FPS	275 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 1800X Open Ryzen 7 3700X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 7 1800X	Ryzen 7 3700X
1080p
low	408 FPS	561 FPS
medium	408 FPS	561 FPS
high	408 FPS	561 FPS
ultra	408 FPS	561 FPS
1440p
low	408 FPS	561 FPS
medium	408 FPS	561 FPS
high	408 FPS	561 FPS
ultra	408 FPS	555 FPS
4K
low	408 FPS	561 FPS
medium	408 FPS	501 FPS
high	407 FPS	447 FPS
ultra	353 FPS	396 FPS

Open Ryzen 7 1800X Open Ryzen 7 3700X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 7 1800X and Ryzen 7 3700X

Ryzen 7 1800X

The Ryzen 7 1800X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2 March 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Zen (2017−2020) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 16384 kB. L2 cache: 4096 kB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 16,305 points. Launch price was $499.

Ryzen 7 3700X

The Ryzen 7 3700X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 7 July 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 22,430 points. Launch price was $329.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Ryzen 7 1800X and Ryzen 7 3700X share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4 GHz on the Ryzen 7 1800X versus 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 7 3700X — a 9.5% clock advantage for the Ryzen 7 3700X (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Ryzen 7 1800X uses the Zen (2017−2020) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 7 3700X uses Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) (7 nm, 12 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 7 1800X scores 16,305 against the Ryzen 7 3700X's 22,430 — a 31.6% lead for the Ryzen 7 3700X. L3 cache: 16384 kB on the Ryzen 7 1800X vs 32 MB on the Ryzen 7 3700X.

Feature	Ryzen 7 1800X	Ryzen 7 3700X
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4 GHz	4.4 GHz+10%
Base Clock	3.6 GHz	3.6 GHz
L3 Cache	16384 kB	32 MB+100%
L2 Cache	4096 kB+700%	512K (per core)
Process	14 nm	7 nm, 12 nm-50%
Architecture	Zen (2017−2020)	Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)
PassMark	16,305	22,430+38%
Cinebench R23 Multi	9,314	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,130	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	5,700	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

Both processors use the AM4 socket with PCIe 3.0. Both support up to DDR4-2666 memory speed. Both support up to 128 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 20 (Ryzen 7 1800X) vs 24 (Ryzen 7 3700X) — the Ryzen 7 3700X offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: AM4 (Ryzen 7 1800X) and AMD 500 series,AMD 400 series,AMD 300 series (Ryzen 7 3700X).

Feature	Ryzen 7 1800X	Ryzen 7 3700X
Socket	AM4	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	20	24+20%

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: AMD-V (Ryzen 7 1800X) / not specified (Ryzen 7 3700X). Primary use case: Ryzen 7 1800X targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Ryzen 7 1800X rivals Core i7-8700.

Feature	Ryzen 7 1800X	Ryzen 7 3700X
Integrated GPU	No	No
Unlocked	Yes	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	AMD-V	—
Target Use	Gaming	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 7 1800X launched at $499 MSRP, while the Ryzen 7 3700X debuted at $329. On MSRP ($499 vs $329), the Ryzen 7 3700X is $170 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 7 1800X delivers 32.7 pts/$ vs 68.2 pts/$ for the Ryzen 7 3700X — making the Ryzen 7 3700X the 70.4% better value option.